School board resolution signals need for improved school funding

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

OSBA is asking school boards to pass a resolution supporting the “Oregonians for Student Success” campaign to prioritize education investment for Oregon’s students.

“It’s important for school board members to act with a unified voice,” said OSBA Executive Director Jim Green. “Legislators and community members need to see that school board members are seeking improved funding to serve the needs of our children.”

OSBA’s “Oregonians for Student Success” campaign is encouraging the public to advocate for sustainable and adequate investment in Oregon’s K-12 school system. The campaign includes a series of town halls in the coming weeks where community members can ask questions and learn how to get involved.

The resolution highlights that Oregon has consistently underfunded public education since the 1990 passage of Measure 5, which limited property taxes. The prolonged period of unstable and inadequate funding has led to a shortened school year, larger class sizes, teacher layoffs and program cuts – all described by the resolution.

The Legislature’s Joint Interim Committee on Student Success toured the state in 2018 to explore Oregon’s education system, and it has galvanized support for state revenue reform and increased education funding.

Gov. Kate Brown’s 2019-21 budget proposed $9 billion for the State School Fund, with a possible additional $1.3 billion for early learning and K-12 education. The Quality Education Model, a nonpartisan assessment of the costs of a high-quality Oregon education system, recommends $10.7 billion for the biennium.

“School board members need to help shoulder the responsibility for making the case to Oregon's voters that the Legislature needs to prioritize investing to the level of the QEM to assure educational opportunities for every student in every district in our state,” the resolution says.